Researchers talk of “time affluence” – the feeling that you have the time to pursue activities and connections that are personally meaningful to you. They have shown that feeling time affluent has a direct influence on well-being and is a consistent predictor of it (whereas material affluence is not).
One of the life tools we recommend if you live in the fast lane is occasional deep reflection on what you’re juggling in your life - getting down in one list your roles and relationships and the expectations, commitments and compromises which come with them (see the Sustainability Lens of Mental Spinach p79). You may be wired to over-commitment to others’ needs and to big expectations at work but it’s easy to see your 168 hours per week absorbed by biting off more than you can chew and by ignoring your own needs.
What are Freedom Hours?
As an additional tool to avoid biting off too much or ignoring your own needs, we find it valuable to think in terms of Freedom Hours. These we define as the hours you can spend as you wish, with no external constraints or controls. It’s time when you can choose whether to go to the gym or the beach, watch a film or read, walk in the park, plan a trip, try a new hobby or a new musical instrument etc. It’s basically time when you have the opportunity to invest in your own needs – whether you choose to do that alone or with others.
And there’s nothing selfish about focusing occasionally on your own needs. If you don’t, you may be incapable of supporting the needs of others who depend on you.
Counting, valuing and protecting your Freedom Hours
Not only do we unashamedly think in terms of Freedom Hours, we also occasionally count them. Or we try to find more of them by blocking out times in our diary and by being prepared to say “no” to competing opportunities or commitments.
Freedom Hours are rare in a job. They’re possible if you work for yourself or if you work for an enlightened employer which encourages its employees to work a percentage of their week on relevant projects of their own choice. The converse is more common – where unclear or unreasonable employer/boss expectations or an individual’s perfectionism converts a 40 hour a week job into 55 hours or a 3-day a week job into 4 ½ days (often without due recompense). So be clear about employer expectations of you, be clear if they become seriously unreasonable and don’t let your own perfectionism take Freedom Hours away from you unless the situation really warrants it.
Using your Freedom Hours
We also reflect on or plan what we do with Freedom Hours . Your Freedom Hours may offer you the greatest opportunity to expand your horizons, transform your life and your sense of self, or enhance your career prospects. They may also be your greatest opportunity to step back from the pressures of the weekly treadmill and avoid burnout.
It’s both a challenge and an opportunity to use Freedom Hours in a way that translates into some form of enjoyment, rejuvenation, satisfaction, new horizons or personal growth that is important for you and your well-being. That can take some planning and preparation.
The amazing leverage of Freedom Hours
In one life you can experience periods of vast Freedom Hours (perhaps as a university student or when semi-retired) or very few (as would a parent with a challenging full time job, pets, a mortgage and ageing parents).
Wherever you are in life, you can find vast leverage through thinking about Freedom Hours. There are three big leverage points. Each is both an opportunity and a challenge:
You may get a shock at how significantly you can increase your Freedom Hours in a typical week by modifying your own or others’ expectations of you or by getting more support at home or at work.
You may get another shock at how much more effectively you can apply your Freedom Hours towards your well-being or growth.
By building the habit of protecting and building your Freedom Hours and the habit of applying them well to things that matter to you, you will enjoy the benefits of leverage points 1 and 2 on an ongoing basis – and that’s where the biggest leverage of all often emerges.
Ask yourself:
Do I get many hours in a typical week which I am free to direct to an activity totally of my own choice and with no external constraints or controls (Freedom Hours)? (Note the precise definition is not important. You might find some similar concept of more value or relevance – perhaps one which focuses on the hours you get for your favourite hobby or your most fulfilling activities).
Which of my habits and mindsets are diminishing my Freedom Hours? (Perfectionism? Reluctance to say “No”? Not operating effectively? Procrastination? Leaving things half finished?)
What expectations and responsibilities are diminishing my Freedom Hours? Have those expectations progressively changed without me really noticing? Can I modify those expectations or responsibilities or get more support?
Am I using my Freedom Hours well? - to pursue my personal priorities and goals? – perhaps to transform my sense of self? Are they bringing me pleasure…..or rejuvenating me?
Can I develop the habits of protecting and building my Freedom Hours and applying them to things that matter to me?
Do I feel guilty thinking like this given my responsibilities to my family, friends, colleagues etc? Why should I feel guilty?
So the potential from exploring your Freedom Hours is vast. Underestimating it is just underestimating your own potential.
Protect those Freedom Hours you have, use them well and find more of them.
Covid-19 Addendum
Your current circumstances may have gifted you so many Freedom Hours that it’s easy to just let days pass with little structure or purpose. In one sense those Freedom Hours are not as pure as you might like as the range of options available for using them are nowhere near as broad as they would be without lockdown.
Many of the above questions still apply but lockdown brings some additional ones:
How can I better use media and communications technology to widen the options available to me during lockdown?
Which of the things I’ve been putting off will be easier to progress now I have more Freedom Hours or now that other people may be more accessible or have more time on their hands?
